When a new user review at Urbanspoon reminded that Mustard Seed was one of many, many Atlanta barbecue joints still out there for me to visit, I put it on my to-do list right after a farewell trip to Harold’s, which was closing after sixty-five years. Then I decided, upon reflection, that it was really the stew that I liked most about Harold’s and elected to visit both the same afternoon. Then the staff at Harold’s, evidently choosing to let closing-time malaise infect their morning routine, unlocked the door at eleven without actually having any stew ready. I only visited that restaurant once – it was the last “new” barbecue place that I enjoyed together with my dad – and couldn’t contribute to the overwhelming community sense that the old place had been falling apart in disappointment and lost opportunities for many years, but it was hard to leave that place without shaking my head and thinking that the nay-sayers might have a point. Continue reading “Mustard Seed BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
Tag: barbecue
Miller Brothers Rib Shack, Dalton GA
For the last stop on our trip through the land “from Soddy-Daisy to Sand Mountain,” we pulled over in Dalton for the first time in more than two years of blogging. We have registered on the Urbanspoon Dalton leaderboard already, because, strangely I’d say, that service registers a giant, sweeping expanse of the northwest Georgia mountains, from Summerville to Ellijay, as one metro area. Despite the fact that Dalton is smaller than Rome, which is unincorporated in Urbanspoon and registers simply within the general Urbanspoon Georgia heading, all of this sparsely-populated expanse of beautiful mountain country is all called Urbanspoon Dalton, and our visits to nice mountain restaurant getaways have logged there. Continue reading “Miller Brothers Rib Shack, Dalton GA”
Hillbilly Willy’s Bar-B-Q, Chattanooga TN
Hillbilly Willy’s was already several years old before I discovered them. George Foster started his business in a tiny little shack in Ooltewah, on the other side of Chattanooga from his present location, about eleven years ago, doing carry-out and catering. Around the same time that he was growing and thriving and looking for a larger space, I was stopping at a Bi-Lo just off I-24 on my way to Nashville for occasional twelve-packs of Double Cola. In time, the Bi-Lo closed, the shopping center’s owners lowered the rent on the smaller spaces to attract business to the mall as it lacked an anchor, and Foster moved in, setting up billboards letting people know about his great barbecue on the west side of town. Continue reading “Hillbilly Willy’s Bar-B-Q, Chattanooga TN”
Big Marv’s BBQ, Scottsboro AL (CLOSED)
I feel that I must again express my disappointment that rural Alabama is so poorly covered by those of us who blog about food. I see that we have quite a nice audience, even if the transition to WordPress and our own domain means that our stats have taken the stumble that I heard would happen, and I’d like to think that many of our readers are adding restaurants that we have featured to their personal wishlists. Having said that, however, nothing would be better for either small communities or the independent restaurants there than blanket coverage from lots of bloggers, particularly when the restaurants that need championing are ones that serve up a product as good as the pulled pork at Big Marv’s. I applaud the restaurant for using social media to communicate with its fans, but I’m disheartened that Google searches don’t suggest that anybody else is using social media to talk about the restaurant. This needs to change. Continue reading “Big Marv’s BBQ, Scottsboro AL (CLOSED)”
Pig O’s Bar-B-Que, Crawford GA
Two Saturdays ago, Marie and I enjoyed a Date Day. The teenage girl was off one direction and the baby boy was with my mom, and so we drove up to the Athens area to enjoy some time without the company of younguns. Our first stop was Oglethorpe County, where we went to Shaking Rock Park, one of our favorite places, and enjoyed a nice walk in the woods. I always enjoy the sight of beautiful creatures sunning themselves on the rocks, like these fantastic lizards that I snapped: Continue reading “Pig O’s Bar-B-Que, Crawford GA”
Snacking on Saint Simons
Usually, our visits to Saint Simons give us many chances to walk around, take in the sights at our own pace and enjoy some pretty good meals. Our most recent trip, two weeks ago, was no exception. We had a nice visit, got some sun and exercise, and ate well. Continue reading “Snacking on Saint Simons”
Barbecue on the Golden Isles Parkway
A couple of weeks ago, Marie and I loaded up the children and braved the Spring Break traffic for a weekend visiting her parents on Saint Simons Island. It wasn’t to be a very big trip, and we had to rush to fight our way through gridlock and lengthy baby-changing business – and boy, did this kid ever let us know that we needed to get to Cochran and change him – in the hopes of getting to the island at a reasonable hour. In the end, the trip, normally five-hours-and-a-bit if you do it direct, took nearer to seven thanks to all the backup between Atlanta and Hampton. Continue reading “Barbecue on the Golden Isles Parkway”
Marie, Let's Eat! 